AS LONG as the law does not change, the Philippines’ elections will be fully automated, said Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia.
Garcia, who was in Bacolod City on May 1, said Republic Act 9369 provides that the elections from 2010 should be fully automated.
This was after former Bacolod City mayor Evelio Leonardia, who is now running for congressman against incumbent Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, allegedly asked the Comelec for the manual counting and manual tallying at the precinct level of votes for local candidates in Bacolod City before the electronic transmission of election results to the City Board of Canvassers in May elections.
Garcia said that granting the request of Leonardia would violate the law.
He said that as of May 1, 2025, he has not received the letter request of Leonardia for a manual count. The letter was allegedly sent on April 25, 2025.
Gracia stressed that the Comelec’s automated counting machines (ACMs) are hybridized machines where the voters can check the ballot on screen.
“There are many ways to counter check the result. We have the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) that leads in the quick count,” he said.
He added that from 2010 until 2022 national and local elections, the accuracy rating of the ACMs is 99.9 percent compared to the manual count.
Benitez earlier said the allegations linking the City’s contract with High Data Infra Corp. to the May 12, 2025 elections are false and misleading.
“We strongly refute the baseless claims regarding the City Government’s public-private partnership (PPP) contract with High Data Infra Corporation,” Benitez said.
In March 2025, Benitez has signed a 10-year build-transfer-maintain agreement with the High Data Infra Corp. led by its representative Danny Fernandez, a P2.105-billion Bacolod Super City Project.
The P2.105-billion project will be implemented in phases this year. The first phase will focus on e-governance, as it is the most feasible for immediate execution.
Leonardia said this is a clear and significant conflict of interest that compromises the sanctity of the ballot because of the partnership forged by the concerned parties.
Benitez countered that the project was lawfully processed and awarded under the PPP Code through a transparent and compliant process.
“To clarify, SMS Global Technologies Inc. (SMSGT) and its joint venture partner are providing Comelec an Overseas Voting System for use only by overseas Filipinos (OFWs) abroad, and only for the election of national candidates and not to local candidates,” Benitez said.
Benitez urged all parties to refrain from spreading misinformation, adding that the City Government remains committed to transparent governance and electoral integrity. (MAP)
